Stands having elongate poles projecting from a base having legs perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pole are used for a variety of purposes. One important use of such stands is in hospitals where IV stands are used to support intravenous fluid bags and intravenous fluid pumping equipment, blood pressure monitors, lights and the like. Such stands are also used by musicians as music stands. Another use arises in public spaces such as banks and convention centers, were such stands are used as aisle stanchions for crowd control purposes. Although the particular structure of the stand varies by application, these types of stands are almost always used in applications where the stands must be transported and stored according to changing needs. For example, during the course of hospital operations, IV stands are moved from room to room, transported to storage rooms where the batteries of the equipment mounted to the stand may be recharged, and transported to washing stations where the poles are cleaned and sanitized. Moving these types stands one or two at a time results in a significant expenditure of staff time and effort. Furthermore, the size and awkward stature of these stands renders them difficult to transport, creating a potential safety hazard.
A number of structures have been previously used to transport music stands. These carts typically include a pair of rails through which one of the legs of the stand extends at an angle with respect to the rails. In this manner, the stands may nest against each other. However, such a structure would not be operative to transport IV stands. Currently known music stand carts require that the music stand be transported in a non-vertical position, or that the cart include an inclined rail upon which the music stands are supported. For this reasons, currently known music stands are not capable or transporting certain other types of stands having elongate poles. For example, IV stands cannot be transported non-vertically due to the large, heavy equipment mounted toward the top of IV stands. Furthermore, where the stands being transported are tall, a cart utilizing inclined rails may cause the tops of some of the stands to be taller than doorways.
It would be desirable to have an apparatus for transporting a large number of stands having elongate poles quickly and efficiently wherein the number of stands that may be transported is maximized, and the overall height is minimized.